When we bought the farm nearly 4 years ago the first thing we did was gut the tiny 50s/80s kitchen. We naively jumped into a complete DIY kitchen makeover, thinking we could have it done in 6 weeks or so…
The Old Kitchen Before
We really wanted a bright kitchen that felt original to the farmhouse. I studied kitchens from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, since our farmhouse was built in 1893. The biggest challenge was seamlessly incorporating modern conveniences like a dishwasher, microwave, and refrigerator into my period appropriate kitchen design. Of course, we would need to incorporate a stove, some prep space and a small kitchen table too. The old kitchen did not really have room for any of those things as you can see from the above Before shots. Oddly, there was also a full bath right off the kitchen. So, we decided to do a “room swap.”
The Old Bedroom Before
The plan was for the 9×14 kitchen and full bath to become a cozy master suite. The 12×12 bedroom off the living room with its tiny closet tucked under the stairs would now become our kitchen and pantry. Simple right? I can assure you this was quite an undertaking for our family…
If you haven’t been following Bryarton Farm on Instagram, it’s the best way to see more of the DIY kitchen transformation. From making windows to go above the sink using the tops of antique carriage doors, to making our own wood countertops from large slabs of hickory; it’s all there. You can join our Instagram tribe by clicking {Here}. Then you will get a daily dose of our journey! (I only post monthly on the blog.) In fact, these square shaped photos have all been pics I snagged off my Instagram feed to give you an idea of the intense process this room underwent. Before we could move the kitchen, we also had to repair tons of termite damage we encountered during the project.
This isn’t the final kitchen reveal. We are still doing major work on the the stair and pantry side of the kitchen, the antique stove has not yet been converted to propane, and the vent above the stove hasn’t been installed, but we are getting so close. I just had to at least share what it’s like to have a functioning kitchen sink and dishwasher after all these years.
The After
Today I am just showing you the sink area. It turned out better than all my sketches and plans. The only way to make a space feel authentically old was to use old pieces in the design. Implementing tons of salvaged antique pieces like the 1910 pendant light, the 1920s three drawer base cabinet, and 1928 cast iron sink. You can read about how we restored the farm sink and picked a vintage style faucet by clicking {Here}.
When I stand in front of my authentic farm sink, I feel a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to bring purpose back to a piece that in some small way made America great. I am washing dishes and giving my baby a bath the way many mothers in this farmhouse have over the last 125 years.
It hasn’t been easy, but like anything worthwhile this kitchen sink has been well worth the wait. Stay tuned for the full kitchen reveal coming in the next few months. We are currently in the process of hand making a stair railing for the kitchen stairs where a wall once was. Carefully matching every detail of the existing balusters upstairs while adding new functionality is a challenging part of this restoration.
Stairs Before
Stairs Now
Choosing to restore our farmhouse rather than renovate it, means we can’t just follow whatever home trend is currently popular. We have to be faithful to the Folk Victorian architectural style of our home, and honor the farming family who built it, all while still making everything function for our modern family. You might think that it would be confining to be limited to what is historically accurate, but it really makes it more interesting. Restrictions fuel creativity.
Once we complete the kitchen and master suite, we plan to go back and create a more detailed account of our DIY projects in videos for our YouTube channel. We just don’t have the time or energy to do that right now. Thank you to all the wonderfully sweet folks who are cheering us on and supporting our efforts to save this 1872 farmstead. You keep us going when we feel like this is a lost cause…
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Please join the conversation by leaving a comment below…
This is just beautiful Sara Jo! I’m always so inspired when I see your posts! God Bless! XO
Thanks for your support Tracy! We couldn’t do this without having the Lord for strength and our friends for encouragement.
So proud of y’all! It is always wonderful to see such amazing transformations and to know how the Lord has grown your family spiritually along the way is even more beautiful.
It’s true we have had to really lean on God when the financial, physical, and emotional stress got too much to bare. He has been faithful and brought us closer to Him and each other through this amazing experience.
Sara Jo and Michael, This looks amazing!! What a huge project and a testimony to all your hard work and creativity in making this in to such an awesome space. I am excited to see the rest of the kitchen when it is finished.
Thank you Pam for all your sweet encouragement! Hopefully that final kitchen reveal will be soon…
I love it so much. You and your fam are so inspiring! ❤️
Love your farm, family, videos, story, and seeing your kids cooking! Keep up the good work.
Haha yes, they are both wonderful cooks! I get to “eat” their culinary master pieces every day. Thank you for following our journey and giving us such wonderful encouragement along the way.
Somehow I missed this last month. SO happy to see your kitchen becoming functional! This farmhouse was built the same year my great grandmother was born. She passed when I was 20 (39 years ago.) She was SO awesome! Good things happened in 1893!
I continue to LOVE following the Bryarton Farm blog!
Wow that so neat Lori! You just gave me one more reason to love 1893! Can’t wait to meet your grandmother in heaven someday. Oh the stories she could tell…
Hi Sara! Your kitchen is an inspiration for the restoration of ours! We have the same style sink. Did you mount the sink to the wall or does the “stand” your husband make hold it up?
My husband built the countertops and stand to hold it.
I love the details you’ve put back into your little kitchen and the placement you chose is perfect! Love the stairs coming down into the kitchen. It’s perfect. I can just picture little feet tiptoeing down on Christmas morning and peeking around the corner to see if breakfast is ready yet. It’s amazing. It has inspired me so much already as I embark on my own restoration journey.
Thank you for appreciating our work. Our main inspirations was Laura Ingalls Wilder’s kitchen in her farmhouse on rocky ridge farm in Mansfield Missouri.
How am I just now finding this? I have more than once done Google searches looking for people living in their ongoing farmhouse remodel/restoration as I am doing. Such an encouragement to know I am not the only one having to go at it a bit at a time as life marches on…just got my dishwasher back after 2 years. What joy!!
May I please know the green colour on your newel post? I love your home and your heart. Enjoying your blog and art and story. Lord bless, Elle
Unfortunately that color has always been there on the newel, so I had to custom mix a green for the stair treds. The color doesn’t have a name. Thanks for liking the shade.